Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart
by Juliet's Shadow
Summary: When Annie came home from college after an unremarkable semester, she didn't expect to meet Finnick Odair. She couldn't imagine the way being with him that Christmas Season would change her life forever. Modern Day. One chapter published a day until Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone!
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's everyone! It's almost Christmas, my favorite holiday, so to celebrate I've written a 12 part story, one chapter will be posted every day, the final chapter being posted on Christmas Day! I hope you guys enjoy it! It's going to be a roller coaster ride…**

Chapter One

 _Annie_

"Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains, and the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains..." Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. I've been listening to Christmas music since October, if I'm to be completely honest. I've been imagining myself next to the fire back home, looking at the Christmas tree my mom puts so much effort into making sure is perfect before my sisters and I go and hang up ornaments. Bay, Camille and I always argue over who gets to hang the little glass cocker spaniel towards the top of the tree, in remembrance of the cocker spaniels we had when we were little. Though it would make the most sense for Camille to do it, since she is the tallest, I usually get to hang the ornament up. I like Christmas. Bay, Camille and I no longer stay up into the early morning, waiting to hear Santa come down the chimney, or through the front door, since we don't have a chimney. In more recent years, we simply go to bed as early as our bodies will let us, and wake up whenever the first one of us awake comes and grabs us out of our beds. Not too many years ago, Bay set an alarm for six in the morning, and had it project through the whole house. It was a rude awakening. We'll go open our stockings and our presents under the tree, clean up the wrapping paper, a job which has gotten easier the older we get, while mom goes and makes breakfast for everyone in the house, except me, of course. I've never been a fan of breakfast. The smell of bacon, honestly, makes me sick- maple syrup, even more so.

"Annie, wake up. You've been in bed all day." I'm not surprised that I've been in bed all day, to be honest. It's still several days until Christmas, and there's no reason I need to be up. In high school, I was spending all day in bed, only leaving for food and to go to the bathroom. With college, it's gotten better. I've spent mornings in bed and afternoons and evenings with family and friends. Mornings, for me, last until three in the afternoon, and bedtime for me is well after my parent's. I groan and find myself shuffling, reluctantly, out of bed. I made up the covers, a habit I gained in college, and walked to where my mom was in the kitchen. I felt gross, like I needed a shower. My hair felt oily and I felt uncomfortable. Matters were made worse by the fact there was an attractive guy, my age, looking me over. I was suddenly very aware of the fact I wasn't wearing a bra and my pajama's were a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I crossed my arms and tried to make my breasts as unnoticeable as possible. The cold air in the kitchen from the door leading outside was not helping my situation.

I give my mom a look and she smiles as if nothing is wrong. "Annie, this is Finnick. He's the son of one of Sarah's Junior League friends." I nod. Sarah was mom's best friend. She had two kids, a daughter Camille's age, and a son, just a couple years younger. They were honestly so close to our family, they might as well were a part of it. I was used to strange people coming over and being completely underdressed to meet them. The people I met though were usually women in their forties. This person in front of me was a twenty year old picture of perfection.

I give him an awkward smile. "Nice to meet you." I kept my distance. I hadn't brushed my teeth and I could taste the morning breath.

He gives me a smile, as well. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Annie, they're having a show travel around Panem and a few of the outer cities. Sarah might have mentioned your name. The organization putting on the show needed a new actress to play the female lead, and they want you to audition. She told them you were a theatre major and had a history at the community theatre. It's a musical, of sorts."

I nod. "Dancing is minimal, I suppose?" I was a dreadful dancer.

My mom nods. "First thing I asked, Annie." My mom knew I was a dreadful dancer better than anyone. "Finnick is the male lead. He just came to drop off some papers for your audition. It'll be this afternoon."

I look at Finnick. "Do I need to sing anything?"

"The character your auditioning for has a signature song. Duet, actually.

"Which one?" I suspected Baby it's Cold Outside, and would have said it out loud, if my mother wasn't standing right next to me. It was of my favorite holiday songs, though the song doesn't have to be limited to Christmas time. There are no actual Christmas words in that song.

"Baby it's Cold Outside. Like the song?"

I nod. "Yeah. It's pretty catchy." Bay and I would sing that song quite often. While neither of us obsess over Glee, we obsess over the Glee version of that song. Being the first soprano of the family, I usually got to be the girl in duet songs.

"Well, at the audition I'll be singing that song with you. You'll probably want to have a solo song, as well." I nod. This was all pretty standard.

I start to fill out the paperwork so Finnick can take it to the people putting on the show. It wasn't much, the longest part being my resume. I was done within ten minutes. I finished the paperwork and gave it to Finnick, thanked him, then went to shower. There's a part of me that wished I knew about the audition sooner, but there's another part that's glad. I don't have time to psych myself out, make myself nervous.

I sing in the shower, not unusual, and find myself getting excited. It would be a lot of fun to get to do a Christmas show over the break. It's the beginning of December. I don't know how hectic the rehearsal schedule will be, how quickly I'll have to memorize lines, if I get the part, and how stressed out I will be, but I can't help but feel excited. This will be a fun holiday.

 _Finnick_

I was preparing to leave the house, gathering up the papers Annie had given me. I gave her mom the paper with the time, eight tonight, and address, when I heard her sing. She didn't hold back, she was free. Her voice was nice to listen to. It was obvious she had natural talent. She was singing a melody of Christmas songs, trying to figure out which sounded best with her bell like soprano. She started singing Baby it's Cold Outside, holding rests where the male part was, and I thought she sounded great. I still had another couple of houses to drop off papers, but there was little doubt in my mind that Annie would get the part, if her acting held up to her voice.

 **I hope you guys liked the first chapter! If this isn't exactly your cup of tea, hold on, because we're going to be going on a roller coaster with this story! Please leave a review, follow, favorite, whatever you want! Most of all, have a very Merry Christmas!**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What is your favorite Christmas, or holiday, song?**

 **See you guys tomorrow!**

 **-Juliet**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 _Annie_

"Does this look good, Mom?" I put on a long sleeve black velvet dress, with a pair of black heels. My mom didn't say yes, immediately, a bad sign to me. "I'll go change."

"No! It doesn't look bad, Annie." I frown. I need to look perfect.

"No, I can do better." I go back to my closet and look around, trying to find a nice outfit to wear. Eventually I settled on a white sweater, a beige skirt and a red felt hat. My hair fell in loose curls down my back, thanks to my curling wand, and my makeup actually looked pretty good, considering I rushed the job. I put on my burnt orange coat that really had no business being as cute as it was, considering the color, and walked out the door, my mom telling me to break a leg as drove to the address on the paper. I got there and I felt my heart drop to my stomach. My college roommate stood right in front of me, ready for an audition. I like Madge, a lot. She's super sweet and we've been friends for years. What I don't like about Madge is the fact she is four foot ten and absolutely beautiful. She gets cast above me in everything just because she is as pretty as she is. She has talent, but not much more than the average actor. It's just the fact she looks so different than anyone. She had the face of Drew Barrymore, a rocking body with huge breasts. She had a pretty good personality, too, if you weren't the one who had to listen to all her drama over seven years. Her hair was blonde and went down to her chin. At that moment I felt screwed. I never beat her at an audition. I knew I was a better singer than her, but I had none of her natural magnetism. I was five four, a normal height, with long brown hair. Nothing was exciting about brown hair. I know there were features of me that were attractive, ask any of the guys who've drunkenly hit on me just to get me into bed, but I had none of her magnetism. I was extremely jealous of her, as a person. I don't want to be jealous of her, but I had a tendency to be very self aware around her, not a good thing when living with her.

Madge saw me and gave me a smile. I gave her one as well, feigning confidence I didn't have. "Hey, Annie!"

"Hey!" What I wouldn't give to go back to bed and wish this never happened. I could not lose another part to Madge. My heart might break.

"You got invited to audition, too?"

I nod. I try to calm myself down. I know I'm a better singer than her. If this show is primarily singing, then I have nothing to worry about. I feel my heart beat in my chest a thousand miles an hour, anyway. Within the next five minutes, two more girls show up for the audition, one a high school senior from one of the private schools in town, and a twenty something year old who is wearing far too much makeup. We're invited in and are asked to take a seat. We are introduced to the director. A full cast sits on stage. They look welcoming, smile at each of us, but I don't miss their eyes looking over each of, examining each of us as we come in. A couple of them have their eyes on me, but I notice far more looking at Madge. We are asked to do a cold read with the actress hired to play the character's mother, a forty something year old named Hazelle. She seems nice. I feel slightly uplifted seeing that she has brown hair, and a similar build to my own, though she is several inches taller. I look at the entire cast and notice that they're all pretty tall, five seven looking like the average height for women, six one or so being the average for men. The high school senior and woman wearing too much makeup are closer in height to them. I do the cold reading first, followed by too much makeup, high school senior girl, then Madge. Alphabetical order, I guess. Eventually we all get through the cold readings and are sent to the hall to wait. The waiting is painful, but they eventually call us all back in, the four of us all looking at the director anxiously. "We would like you to all sing a song for us." Too much makeup looks like she's about to ask a question, but the director cuts her off. "We've picked a different one out for each of you. Madge, please sing Away in a Manger. Delly, please sing Joy to the World. Enobaria, could you sing Silent Night? Annie, could you please sing Angels We Have Heard on High. None of those songs are going to be in the show, but will give us a feel for your voices."

Madge went up and sang Away in a Manger as loud and confidently as she could, but she sounded quiet and timid. I hoped this worked in my favor. I didn't want Madge to do badly, I just wanted to do better. Delly, the high school senior, sang Joy to the World, but many of the notes she hit were flat. It was apparent she was not a soprano and struggled hitting the higher notes. Enobaria, wearing too much makeup, went after, singing Silent Night, actually singing the song quite well, but there was an intimidating look in here eyes. Finally, it was my turn. I sang the song to the best of my ability, feeling strain in my voice from nervousness, but overall feeling confident in my song. The director once again thanks us and sends us out into the hall to wait. "You're really good!" I see Delly talking to me and I give her a smile.

"Um, thanks. I can tell you're a really pretty alto." She shrugs.

"Yeah, those higher notes were throwing me off. Hopefully they can look past that. I really want this part."

I nod. "I know what you mean." I feel bad for being in competition against her. Delly is really sweet and seems completely genuine.

"The actress who was in the part before was actually my friend. She had to drop out of the show because of a family emergency." I wasn't aware there was a different girl in the part before. Delly must notice my confusion, because she continues, thinking I'm offended. "You're just as good a singer as her, though! There not just looking for a replacement!"

I give her a smile. "No worries. What happens, happens." I still give a worried look over to Madge, though.

Delly pulls me aside and starts to speak in a very low voice. "Can I tell you something?"

I nod. "I guess."

"I think Madge is going to get the part."

My heart sinks. "Oh, really?"

She nods. "She was super sweet and her read-through with Hazelle was really good. Her singing was a bit weak, but the music director can work on that with her."

I try to hide my disappointment. "Yeah, I guess." I walk away from Delly and go to the bathroom. I can feel the tears starting to perk in my eyes. Not again. I can't always be second best. It's hard to be constantly comparing myself to her, knowing everyone just loves her more than me, knowing I'll never be good enough.

Once I prevents the tears from falling, and calm myself down, I return to where the other girls are waiting. Madge, Enobaria and Delly look like they are deep in a conversation, the three of them telling one another how good they did. I find myself alone, in the corner, adjusting my hat. I pull out my phone and send a text to my mom. 'Don't get you're hopes up. Madge auditioned.'

My mom sends back a text shortly after. 'I'm sorry, baby.' I just sit there, listening to the girls chat. Feeling more self aware and lonely than ever before.

Fifteen minutes or so later, the director comes out. A clipboard in his hand. "Alright, we need Annie and Madge to come back in. Enobaria, Delly, you're free to go. Thank you very much." Enobaria and Delly walk away, downcast, but not surprised. They tell Madge to break a leg and she gives them a smile.

Once they clear out, the director introduces himself more to us, saying his name is Haymitch Abernathy and he is the director for the production. He says he needs us to sing one more song for our audition, this time a duet, with the male lead of the production. I nod, remembering the handsome man who was in my house just hours ago. "The song will be Baby It's Cold Outside."

 _Finnick_

It was obvious the most of the cast wanted the part to be taken by Madge. I couldn't exactly figure out why, though. I saw my friend Peeta talking to some of the other cast members, and I waved him over. Peeta was pretty level headed. He would probably agree with me that Annie would get the part. When Peeta sat down next to me, I asked him. "Who do you think is going to get cast?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. All the other's think it's going to be that Madge girl," he paused, looked around and lowered his voice, "but, between you and me, they're all just distracted by the size of her breasts."

I nod. "I think Annie would do better at the part, if I'm honest."

He shrugged. "It's a toss up. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them got the part. Annie was the better singer, though."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

 **Question of the Day**

 **What are some of your Christmas traditions?**

 **Thanks so much for reading!**

 **With Love,**

 **-Juliet**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys so much for the support on this story! It's been a lot of fun to write and I hope you all are enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

 _thewanderlustmarauder: I'm really glad you like the story! The Christmas concept is based a lot off personal experiences I've had, as well as a lot of my random daydreaming, so I feel a lot closer to this story compared to most of the ones I write. I'm glad you like the writing style, and I did look back at my past couple of chapters and looked at my future ones. I'll totally try to make the story seem lesser rushed. I think part of my problem with that was I was studying for finals while writing some of these chapters, so they didn't get all the attention they should have. I'll go back and fix what I can. :) I hope you like where this story is going. :)_

Chapter Three

 _Annie_

My heart is a jackhammer in my chest. I need to get it together. It's unprofessional to be this nervous. As a theatre major in college, I ought to be better than this. My friends back at my school would be so disappointed if they saw me acting like this. They've always believed in me. So why is it so hard to stand next to Finnick? Why is it so hard for me to catch my breath? Yes, he's attractive, and I've always had a weakness for attractive guys, but nothing ever happens. My last relationship was my sophomore year of high school, and that lasted only three months or so. He cheated on me the whole time, anyway. I need to snap out of it. Not the time to think about this. Finnick just finished singing with Madge, and she didn't sound terrible, even though she does typically tend to struggle hitting lower notes. "Are you ready?" Finnick asks.

I take a breath and nod. "As I'll ever be."

"Alright, Effie. Can you start playing?"

The music director plays a few notes on the keyboard and I look down at the piece of sheet music in my hand. Finally, I start to sing. "I really can't stay,"

Finnick picks up his cue and we finish the song. The cast applauds when we finish the song and Finnick gives me a smile. "Good job."

Haymitch dismisses Madge and me to the hall and I find myself shaking. It's ten thirty-two. My mom has got to be pretty anxious to hear the results of the audition. She would want to hear before she went to bed. "You did good."

I look up from the phone in my hand and see Madge talking to me. "Thanks."

There has been more tension between the two of us since we moved in together. We didn't hate each other, but we weren't nearly as close as we were in high school. We don't have sleepovers and stay up late talking to one another late in the night, like we used to. Most of our more recent conversations were "Are you done in the bathroom?" followed by someone saying "Yeah." It was weird. I wasn't sure we would be as close as we were ever again.

"You did good, too." I say. It's true. As much as I focus on the negatives of her audition, she did do good. Focusing on the negatives was the only way I felt like I had a chance. Neither of us say anything after that. She texts her boyfriend and I mess around on my phone. Twenty minutes later, Haymitch and Effie come out, one script in hand. One of us is getting the part. The other just goes on with their life. Except, I have nothing to really to go back to. I could aimlessly play video games with Camille, I guess.

"We're sorry we can't have both of you in this show, but with the short amount of time we have to even get one person filled in, it would be simply impossible to cast both of you." Effie looks at me and gives a smile. I feel like I'm about to be sent home. "Annie," I take a breath, "be here tomorrow morning at eight, please. We have a lot of work to do. Madge, we're really sorry." I look at Madge, a look of shock on her face. It's apparent she never thought she would lose a part to me. She regains her composure and congratulates me before leaving. I wait until Madge is gone before I start thanking the directors. It's a shock that I got the role over her. "You were the better choice, Annie. We cannot wait to see what you do with the part." The last role I was in I played a slutty therapist. I performed that show and then came home. This will be a very big change.

I start to pack up my purse, make sure I have everything I came with, when I see Finnick making his way over to me. "Congratulations."

I smile. "Thanks."

"You did great."

I feel myself start to blush. "Thanks. You're a really great singer."

He shrugs. "I'm alright."

We kind of stand there awkwardly for a few moments. I've finished gathering my stuff, and I'm anxious to read the whole script. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" "Wanna go grab some coffee?" We speak simultaneously. Neither of us really knows what to say.

After a few moments silence I say something. "Coffee sounds great."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

I shrug. "No, really. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't." I take my phone out of my purse and send my mom a text telling her I got the part and am going to get coffee with a cast-mate.

"Do you mind if a couple of the guys come? They wanted to meet you."

I nod. "Sure, that sounds great."

He smiles. His smile could light a Christmas tree all on it's own. "Great! I'll go grab them!"

He comes back a moment later with a blonde guy with ocean blue eyes and a dark haired one with steely silver eyes. "Annie, this is Peeta and Gale. They're our character's brothers."

"Nice to meet you." I don't know who is playing who's brother, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. We all go get coffee in Finnick's truck. Finnick drives, Gale sits shotgun and Peeta sits in the back with me. They are all very nice to me and tell me fun stories about the show. They tell me the old actress was good, but they think I'm better. They also say she was kind of a bitch and I'm a lot nicer than her. It's nice to hear that they have high hopes for me.

We get to the closest Starbucks and they start to order. "What do you want, Annie?" Finnick asks me. I shake my head, as if to say I can pay for myself. "I insist. What do you want." I don't like coffee or tea so I tell him a tall peppermint hot chocolate. He orders me a grande one.  
While we drink our coffee's the guys explain the plot of the show to me. "Basically it's a modern Romeo and Juliet with a Christmas twist. Peeta's girlfriend wrote the play for her college theatre class and Haymitch and Effie read it and thought it would be a fun show to do. You'll see Katniss. She is really involved in the production," Gale explains.

"How did they get ahold of the play?" I ask.

Peeta smiles. "She let me read it and I told her it was really good. I was in Haymitch's acting class back at my college and I showed it to him. He said it sounded great and immediately took a shine to it. He said he'd always wanted to direct a traveling Christmas show, but A Christmas Carol's set was complex of a set to travel around with."

"How did you two meet?" Peeta seemed like a really nice guy. A total catch. I was genuinely curious how this girl got him.

"I can answer that." Gale speaks up and gives Peeta a wicked grin. "Katniss and I were close growing up, we lived pretty close to each other, and I went to help her move into her college dorm. I went to get some stuff out of the car and I come back and Peeta here has totally grabbed all the boxes Katniss was carrying and helped her out, no matter how much she protested. I come up to see her in November, and they're dating. Lucky bastard." He gives Peeta a shove, but it seems good natured. I laugh. I cannot wait to start working with these guys.

 _Finnick_

At the coffee shop, I'm glad I get to see more of Annie's personality. She's sweet, bubbly and kind, once she comes out of her shell. She talks about her adventures back at her college, playing video games with her sorority sisters, having a Halloween photo shoot at the beach with her best friends in college, the obsession she has with baking; it's fun. I want to try the peanut butter balls she is apparently known for making. "You'll just have to wait." I know she'll get along great with the cast. I'm glad she got chosen for the part. I was worried that Madge would get the part. Her and I didn't have quite the same chemistry when we were performing at the audition. Haymitch must have noticed that.

We do a read through of the script, Annie taking the part she was cast in, Clara, and I read for Aaron, my part. Gale and Peeta read for their parts, as well as taking over the rest of the parts. We have a fun time and cannot wait for tomorrow, when rehearsals really start. It's nearly one in the morning when we leave, Annie laughing, but obviously tired. We get to the parking lot of the rehearsal building and Annie gives me a smile. "See you tomorrow."

I give her a smile, as well. "Yeah! Bright and early."

She gives a small groan. "Eww, don't remind me. Eight is too early in the morning."

I shrug. "We've got a lot to catch you up on."

She nods. "I should get off book pretty quick. It's not a hard script." She smiles at me once more. "I ought to get home."

She walks to her red Nissan Rogue and climbs into the car. I see her fiddling with the radio and smile when I see her start to move her lips in sync with some song. She'll be great.

 **Thank you so much to my two favorites and three followers. It's great to have your support on this story! I realize this is not the kind of story that everyone is interested in, but to know y'all are out there makes me keep going. :)**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What's the weirdest thing to ever happen to you at Christmas?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry guys. I totally could have gotten this chapter out earlier today, but I didn't. I honestly was playing video games and doing makeup. The chapter is out now, though! I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Chapter Four

 _Annie_

The next few days go by quickly. There's a week to get me off book and completely ready for the show. I meet Katniss and she helps me learn the lines quickly, telling me the reasons all the lines were there and the reasons they were written the ways they were. Effie helps me learn to sing the songs to the best of my ability. I'm a bit rusty singing wise, but it's not hard for me to get back to singing as well as I did in the last musical I was in. Haymitch works with me and gives me very little pressure. I'm off book faster than I ever thought I could be, and I learn the blocking quickly. It helps that the rest of the cast doesn't get frustrated with me and are patient. They're thankful they found an actress at such last minute notice. I meet my on stage family, Hazelle Hawthorne playing my mother, Gale playing my older brother and Johanna Mason, a strong girl with a sassy attitude to the show, playing my older sister. She's fun to be around and gives me a lot of laughs.

I learn the parallels to Romeo and Juliet quickly. Romeo is easily Finnick's character, his character's brother, played by Peeta, takes over the Benvolio character and a high school senior, Cato, plays the Mercutio equivalent. The Capulets are easy to learn as well. I am the Juliet, Johanna's character being the Nurse and Gale's character being the Tybalt character.

It's Thursday today and the show starts touring on Sunday. There's only a couple of scenes left we need to add me into, and I'm off book, making the process easy. Today fills me with anxious energy. I'll be working with not only Finnick, but an actor named Beetee as well, who plays the Friar equivalent. The scene we're working on today involves Finnick kissing me. I've never been kissed on stage before and I feel nervous. Finnick and I have gotten close over the past few days. It's hard for me to want to bring myself to want to kiss him. I know the kiss means nothing, but it's almost as if I want it to. I ignore the feeling and go along with the directors blocking. Finally the dreaded words are spoken. "Finnick, kiss her."

The kiss feels like it could be real. Is that how all on stage kisses feel? I feel more electricity in this kiss then I've felt from a kiss in a long time. More than I felt from Jack when I made out with him on a dare, or John when I made out with him when he was drunk and I didn't realize, or Tyler, when he was trying to date me, there were several kisses that could have meant something but never did. Last time a kiss actually felt even a small spark was sophomore year of high school. When Finnick pulls away he looks me in the eyes and continues in the scene. I can feel myself blushing and cannot take a smile off of my face. The scene goes smoothy and Haymitch says our natural blocking and chemistry made the scene work really well. We finish adding me into the show by noon and we're allowed to go on break until two, when the rest of the cast is supposed to arrive for a full run through. I'm looking for my wallet and keys in my huge rehearsal bag when Finnick comes up to me. "Wanna grab lunch with me?"

I doubt Peeta and Gale will show up. They were dismissed earlier and were told they didn't have to be back until two. It would probably just be the two of us. I give a small smile. "Um, sure."

A big smile, I see ,grows on Finnick's face. The room has lit up once again. "Great. I'll drive." Finnick leads me out to his car and we sit there. Finnick starts the car and fiddles with the stereo, making it to where his aux cord is in power. "Mind if we practice?"

I shrug. "Sure."

He starts to play the beginning song from the show and starts to drive. "Where are we going?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. What are you in the mood to eat?"

I shrug. "I don't know. We can go anywhere."

Finnick shakes his head. "Don't say that, Annie. That causes a dilemma. We'll be in a cycle of us both offering ideas that get declined. Now pick a place to go."

I giggle and shrug. "Let's just go to the first place we see." It turns out the first place we see is a popular mexican fast food restaurant. We go in and Finnick orders a huge plate including tacos and enchiladas. I order a pair of chicken fajitas burritos.

"Are you not hungry?" Finnick asks.

I look at his plate and it dwarfs my own. I shake my head. "I couldn't possibly eat that much."

Finnick laughs. "Your loss."

We laugh as we eat and enjoy ourselves. Finnick is sweet and gets me a refill when I drink all of my Dr. Pepper. I finish my food before he does and tease him for taking so long. He's charming and talks about subjects that interest both of us, not just him. It's unreal how perfect he is. I want to find out what is wrong with him, no one can be as perfect as he is acting, but I cannot find anything wrong with him. I try to avoid all my flaws, make myself appear more confident than I really am. "Wanna go iceskating?"

"What?" I'm caught off guard. Iceskating? We were talking about what we were doing for Christmas, how we were spending it with our families.

"Do you want to go iceskating with me?"

"Okay. Sounds fun." I want it to be a date, but I don't want to read into the invitation. What if it's not a date? Then I'll be embarrassed for thinking it's one. Finnick looks so excited, though...

"Great! The rink is staying open until two in the morning this week. I'll pick you up at seven?" We get out of rehearsal at five thirty. Just enough time for me to get ready.

"Alright." We finish our meal like nothing happened and go back to rehearsal, like nothing happened. Maybe it wasn't an invitation for a date, but I'm excited none the less.

 _Finnick_

I didn't know I was going to ask Annie on a date when we went out for lunch, but I knew I wanted to ask her out at some time. Earlier today, when we had to kiss, it was like no kiss I've ever had before, on or off stage. I don't know what it was, perhaps the chemistry between us is right, but the kiss felt almost real. I wanted to stop, to tell her how amazing the kiss was, but I didn't want to make things awkward for her in front of the few of us that were there. I'd tell her soon enough. Perhaps if our date goes well the only time we kiss won't be on stage.

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! To those of you who follow and favorite and review, it really means a lot! I hope you all have a great last few days of school, if you're not out yet.**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What is your favorite holiday?**

 **Love you all loads!**

 **-Juliet**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter Five

 _Annie_

I rushed home after the end of rehearsal and ran a brush through my hair and touched up my makeup, putting on a bit of powder and touched up my eyeliner. Then it was time to put on a knew outfit. The leggings and long sleeve Harry Potter sorority t-shirt was not going to cut it. I searched through my closet, looking at every dress, shirt, skirt, I owned. Yellow dress with the red designs? Didn't go with my jacket. Little black dress with the cut out in the back? Too slutty. Black pencil skirt with white ruffled top? I wasn't going to a business meeting! I was stressed out looking for the perfect outfit. My vanity chair had a growing pile of clothes. Eventually I settled on a long sleeved, short, white lace dress that showed off my figure well enough. I left my hair down, in case this was not a date, but just a get together, instead. I wore a pair of brown boots and my burnt orange jacket, hoping to dress the outfit down a bit. I walked out of my room and sat in the living room. Finnick wasn't supposed to get here for another fifteen minutes. My dad was sitting in the living room, his feet up on the coffee table, his iPhone in his hand. It was obvious he was reading something before he turned his attention to me. "You look nice. Where are you going?"

"Ice skating with some people in the show."

My dad gave me a teasing look and smiled. "Will there be any boys there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, dad, there will be."

My dad, having three daughters and no sons, thought we were the most beautiful girls in the world. I'm happy about that. Even if no other guy thought I was cute, my dad would think I was. My dad took me to my college orientation, months ago, and there was a cute boy in my major. My dad told me I was the prettiest girl there, lifting my spirits about the cute boy. I looked at the other girls in the room, and knew it couldn't possibly be true, but my dad said it with so much sincerity, I believed him, for the moment. I didn't ever talk with him about my dating life, though. It was embarrassing to talk about in front of my parents. I'm aware nothing is wrong with dating, being nineteen, it was encourage, but still, I wanted to avoid the awkwardness. "Who all is going to be there?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just some people from the show. I was invited at lunch." None of that was a lie. It just wasn't the complete truth, either.

My dad smiled. "Alright. Have fun." My dad then got up and retreated to the den to watch football with my mom.

Finnick showed up two minutes past seven. I got up and left as quickly as I could without appearing over enthusiastic. Finnick rang the doorbell and my two dogs came running. I shoved them inside, not letting them escape or jump up on Finnick, who I could see was wearing a nice blue button down underneath his black coat, and a pair of nice blue jeans. He smiled when he saw me, and I found myself smiling. "You look beautiful."

I blushed. "Thanks." We walked to his car and got in. I was greeted by a toasty warm car and quiet music playing.

I started to buckle my seatbelt when I saw Finnick pull a small bouquet of flowers from the backseat. "I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked," he said sheepishly. The flowers were not my favorite, they were obviously purchased at Walmart, but a guy had never bought me flowers, so I loved them nonetheless.

"Thank you." I guess this was a date after all.

Riding in the car with Finnick was easy. We talked about all sorts of things, ranging from color ("What's your favorite color?" "Pink." "Oh really? I like blue." "Blue is definitely one of my favorites, too.") to school ("Where do you go to school?" "Texas A&M." "Oh really? I got to Texas A&M Corpus Christi!" "Wow, that's awesome!"). We didn't have any awkward silences. Everything just felt natural.

We reached the parking lot of the mall that held the skating rink. I went to get out of the car, but while I was still gathering my purse, Finnick had opened the door for me, letting the cold winter air wash over me and the cozy car. I felt myself get a chill. Finnick laughed and held out his hand for me. I took it and we walked in together. The skating rink was relatively empty, probably because it was Thursday. Finnick led me to the skate checkout. "Size thirteen." I gave him a quizzical look. "I've got big feet. Sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry for." I then turned my attention to the girl checking out skate. "Seven and a half please. Can I have figure skates? I'm really clumsy on hockey skates." The girl nodded and brought back our skates, Finnick's skates dwarfing mine. We lace them up quickly and go onto the ice. I'm not exactly graceful, but I don't fall on my face either. Finnick looks like a pro, though. "Why are you so good at skating?"

He shrugged. "My little sisters are figure skaters. They go iceskating all the time, so I go with them." He smiled as he thought about his sisters. "I actually own my own skates, but I didn't want you to be the only one to have to get rental ones."

"It's not a big deal. They're not expensive."

Finnick shook his head. "You're not going to pay for your own skates. What kind of a date would this be if I let you pay?"

He called this a date. I feel butterflies flutter in my stomach and I start to stumble on the ice. Finnick catches me. "You good?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Good," he gives me a wicked smile then races off, going across the large rink, weaving in and out of the people that are there, until I lose track of him, that is, until he comes up behind me and pulls me over to him. I give him an inquisitive look and he just shrugs. "That was supposed to be a romantic gesture, or something, but it didn't really work."

I laugh and we continue to skate. Finnick takes my hand in his and we skate around the rink at a leisurely pace. "Ready to skate backwards?"

I shake my head. "I'd fall."

"I'll make sure you don't." He turns me around and starts to push me, leading me blindly around the rink. There's a chink in the ice that Finnick doesn't notice and we fall. We're a pile of arms and legs, his body on top of my own. He gets off me quickly, and offers a hand up. I almost want to protest. We felt right. We felt like two puzzle pieces. We've known eachother for only a few days but I know I could see myself loving Finnick Odair for the rest of my life. It's too early for grand romantic confessions, but, for some reason, I know they'll come.

 _Finnick_

This was easily the best date of my life. Annie was sweet, easy to talk to, and easy to be around. I know I'm attractive, not to be arrogant, but I know I am, so to have someone like Annie, who was interested in knowing more about me, rather than getting distracted by my looks, was nice. It's hard to not get distracted by hers, though. After ice-skating, which we do until one-thirty or so, we start to make our way outside. It starts to snow. It's not the fluffy kind that's in movies, but rather the thick type that freezes the roads, but that hardly matters. I know that this feels right. I bring her close to me and underneath the parking lot street light, we share our first real kiss. I hadn't made up the electricity. There was really a spark between us. She blushes underneath the light. It's easy to see the rosy pink her cheeks become. "Ready to go?"

I can tell she's not, but she doesn't want to be rude, so she shrugs. "I guess."

I wish we stayed longer. I wanted to stay with her all night, which, looking back I guess I did. It was so easy to be with her. I guess that made it easier when we saw the car spin out of control in front of us, and the flash of headlights collide with us.

 **If this story were a song, the beat just dropped!**

 **Thank you to those of you who are reading this. It really means a lot to me. :)**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What is your favorite Christmas movie?**

 **With Love!**

 **-Juliet**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

 _Finnick_

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, all troubles will be out of sight..." Michael Bublé played over the sound system in the kitchen. I snuck my hands around Annie's waist as I looked at the mess on the large island at her parent's house, not that I had to worry about them seeing us. Her family had all gone to her grandparents house to help decorate. She stayed home to get an early start on dessert. "What're you making?"

She turned around, still in my arms, and covered my eyes with one of her soft hands. I did. A moment later I tasted sweet peanut butter and chocolate. Of course it was her peanut butter balls. She was still known for them in her sorority, even though no one got to try the her second semester her freshman year. She spent that time here, recovering from the accident. I feel guilty that she was in that accident. I comment on her dessert, while chewing, to distract myself from the thought. "It's good."

She smiles. "T-thanks." It's nice to hear Annie's voice. In the accident, she hit her head. Where she was injured, she's had a hard time speaking, a challenge considering she still insists on being a theatre major. She's come a long way in a year. I notice a bit of powdered sugar on Annie's lips and I kiss it to get it off. She kisses me back, slowly at first, but growing hungrier and hungrier, but she pushes me away. "Peanut-butter balls." She hardly says more than three words at a time. It's sad to see her this way. I didn't know her long before the accident, but I loved hearing her talk. Her voice was like music to me. She will hum along to songs, but won't sing like she used to. I sigh. If I could go back and change that night, I would. "Help me?" I'm caught off guard by her request. She usually bakes alone, as a therapy, not eating most of what she bakes, but baking it all the same.

"Sure." She shows me what to do, grab the dough and roll it into a ball, it's pretty simple. We make about fifty of them before she goes to put them in the freezer. We clean up the mess in the kitchen, a task that's no longer than two minutes with both of us cleaning, before we retire to the large couch in the den of her house. She curls up next to me and I put my arm around her. She turns on Netflix and I smile. It's easy to be with Annie like this. We've watched a lot of movies since getting together. She doesn't feel required to talk, and we still get to spend time together, though I feel like we've watched every Disney and Christmas movie by this point. She passes the remote to me and I turn on the first thing I see, Arrow, and we sit there, totally entranced by the scenes before us. When the episode finishes, though, I'm surprised to find Annie kissing me. "Woah, what's with this?"

She smiles and shrugs. "I- I- " She turned red and pulled away from me. "Don't leave me."

"Leave you? Where's this coming from?" I look at her genuinely concerned. She's never this serious. Even after the accident, she's always been as bubbly and energetic as ever, words being her only handicap. She shrugged. I imagine everything running through her head, though. She's a theatre major who can't speak. She's a pretty girl who can't stand up for herself when a guys makes a play at her. She can't get a job working with people, and jobs in silence drive her insane. She can't make new friends because she comes off shy when she really just wants to be accepted. I understand her frustrations, but I don't know what I can do to help her. Annie looks at me like she said something she didn't mean to say. If there was ever a deer in the headlights face, this was it. "I won't leave you. You know this." She tries to shrug off the headlights look and looks out the window, staring at red and white Christmas lights reflecting off ice covered ground. I feel myself start to get a little annoyed and a little self conscious. "Annie, I won't leave you. I really won't. Are you scared I will, or something?"

She hangs her head. "Everyone else has."

I feel stupid for not realizing that's why she's felt so anxious. When she got back to college, her roommate Madge abandoned her. She lost any credibility she had in her major because of her disability and any hope she had for becoming president, or even a leader in her sorority were dashed. I want to shower her with kisses, and praises, and tell her everything is going to be alright, but I don't. My emotions are running high and I can feel myself getting angrier and angrier. I don't know if I'm angry at her, at myself, or just at the situation in general, but I'm pissed. "What the hell?" She's taken aback. She looks shocked. "What do you want me to do, Annie? There's not much I can do! Do you want me to go to Madge and tell her she's prick with a stick up her ass? Do you want me to go to the theatre department and tell them they shouldn't cast you because you can't say the lines, because that's a pretty big freaking part of a show! How about I go to every single fucking girl in your sorority and tell them that they should make you the next president because you can't say that for yourself because you can't fucking speak?"

Annie gets up, tears in her eyes, and runs out of the den where we were watching Netflix, and runs to her bedroom. I hear the door slam shut and I hear her crying. I immediately feel a wave of regret crashing over me. It's not Annie's fault she can't speak. I was the one driving that night. I'm the one I'm mad at.

 _Annie_

He doesn't follow me. He just looks at me with those green eyes, the fire in them usually warm and comforting, but suddenly taken over by the cruelest of flames. I didn't know he felt that way. Is he mad because I can't speak? I've tried. I've tried so hard. I've tried to get past that accident, but I can't. I'm reminded every time I open my mouth. I hear a knock on my door once my tears start to calm down. I know it has to be Finnick. Everyone else in my family is staying at my grandparents until Christmas. "Annie?"

I don't acknowledge him in any way. I feel my anger rising. "Annie, please, talk to me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." He comes in and sits down on the end of my bed. "Annie, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me."

I feel my heart hammering in my chest. I want Finnick. I want him more than I've ever wanted anyone in my life, but for him to just explode like that, I couldn't manage it if it happened again. I grab the pen and notepad I have kept beside my bed and write out each letter carefully. I love him, but I need to love myself more, I remind myself as I write the words. "We need some time apart."

 **Halfway through! Thank you guys so much for reading! We only have a few more days until Christmas! Yay!**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What's the best gift you've ever given?**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! I love you all so much!**

 **With Love,**

 **-Juliet**


	7. Chapter 7

**Like, 5 more days until Christmas guys! :D**

 _Lori0211: I'm really glad you like it! You know more than anyone the inside stuff, so I hope you like the rest of the story. :) Peanut Butter Balls are a specialty of mine, really fun and easy, so… yeah… XD_

Chapter Seven

 _Annie- January_

I wasn't anticipating being alone on New Years this year. Finnick and I had been doing so good. I honestly thought we would last. I don't know what got into him, and I am well aware that he wouldn't act like that unless he was really bothered, but I don't want to bother him like that. I don't want to feel like I did when he said those words to me. It wasn't fair to me, and me trying to hold on to him while I was just holding him back wasn't fair to him. I'm well aware my chances of ever getting to do theatre again are very slim, but I thought I had his support. I pull out my phone, longing to send him a text, begging him to take me back, but the way he looked when he lost it... I put my phone back in my pocket. Foxface and Clove, a pair of friends I had in high school, come up to me. "Are you feeling alright, Annie?" Clove asks me. She went to school about eight hours north of me, but showed me more support than almost anyone. She must realize how hard it is for me, being a theatre major herself.

I shrug and start to speak. "I want to... I want- call-" the words start to escape me and I feel myself getting frustrated. My therapist said I will probably have difficulty with words for the rest of my life, but the most severe it will be are in these first couple of years, while I'm still adjusting. Clove and Foxface seem to understand what I'm saying.

"Don't get to call him, hun. It's bad news. Besides, I've got another fine piece of ass here just for you." Foxface, real name Clara, was valedictorian in our high school, beating out seven hundred or so people to get the position. She currently attends Yale. She's nearly as boy-crazy as I am.

I smile. "Thank- thank-"

They both smile. "Don't mention it. Now, just make-out with tall, dark and dreamy when it's midnight, alright?" Foxface points him out to me.

I look at the guy she's brought to her house for me. Tall, six foot one at the shortest, bright blue eyes that look like a dream, perfect blonde hair that highlights his face in just the right way, making him look like a model, large muscles that could easily carry me- he's perfect to look at. "His names Cato and he's been checking you out all night."

I feel a bit self conscious. I'm not particularly dressy. I left my little black dress back at my university, so I decided on a long, baggy burnt orange sweater and a pair of skinny jeans that Finnick always liked me wearing because they made my ass look nice. Finnick. I had almost forgotten about him, but I doubt I ever could. I still love him. Still, maybe a midnight New Years kiss is just what I need to distract myself. Three minutes to midnight and I am standing with Cato. He seems nice enough, a bit showy, but that's alright. I'm constantly surrounded by showy, self-absorbed people. The count down starts. I don't count, but I feel myself get excited. Cato kisses me just after he yells one. He's a good kisser, but I don't feel anything. No sparks, no electricity. I just feel his lips on mine.

 _Finnick- February_

"What if I do some grand gesture to get her back. It's Valentine's day, and I've been looking at her facebook. She's still single, Gale." I find myself still constantly thinking of Annie. I want to apologize to her, but I don't want to hurt her if she's in a good spot. What if I just make things worse? It would be better for her to call me.

Gale and Peeta have different ideas, though. "You fucked up, dude. You're the one who called her out on her disabilities. Who does that? That's like, I dunno, kicking a puppy or something." Gale, Peeta and I are all sitting at a burger joint downtown, stuffing our faces. It's Valentine's day and they're both planning on taking their girlfriends out on incredible dates- Peeta taking Katniss on a picnic and Gale taking Jo to a ranch to ride horses. I'm stuck here, very single, and very depressed. I want to reconcile with Annie. I want that to be my big, romantic gesture. I don't know how long I can go without her. Two months has already been too long.

"I don't know, Gale. What do you think I should do, Peeta? I should just tell her I'm sorry and try to make up with her, right?" I am desperate. I'll pretty much believe anything at this point if it means I can call Annie.

Peeta shakes his head, though. "She's in a bad place right now, Finn. She's probably trying to focus on getting better. You're just going to be a distraction. If she wants to get back with you, she'll text you, or something. For now, just wait and don't do anything to screw yourself over."

I take a look at my half eaten burger and push it away. "Whatever."

Gale looks at it, his burger finished, his fries demolished. "You gonna finish that?" I shake my head. He grabs it and downs it faster than I think humanly possible. "So what are you guys doing for Spring Break? It's only a month away, so I was thinking we could go down south, hit the beach. Galveston, Port Aransas, maybe Corpus Christi?"

I stiffen at the words Corpus Christi. Annie goes to college there. Maybe I could see her. Make amends. Or just screw myself over. Gale isn't good at remembering details, but Peeta is. "Why don't we go camping instead. I know Katniss and Jo would like that."

"But Finnick would probably like going to the beach more, huh? Little bit of surfing, a whole lot of drinking, what do you say?"

Peeta gives Gale a stern look and pulls him over. Gale's confusion at the refusal to go to the beach clears up. "You know what? Camping sounds fun, too. I think I know a couple of hunting ranges that are open. The girls would like that. We could camp and hunt our own food. We could still get totally wasted, too." Everything goes back to the way it should be, Gale and Peeta debating over Spring Break, and I'm still wondering about Annie.

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! Leave a review telling me what y'all think. :) This story does take place in Texas, by the way.**

 **Question of the Day**

 **What is the weirdest ornament on your Christmas tree?**

 **Thank you all so much!**

 **With Love,**

 **-Juliet**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's later in the evening! I hope you all enjoy anyway!**

Chapter Eight

 _Annie- March_

"Spring Break bitches!" Annie looked at her small group of friends on campus and smiled. Wiress, Bristel, Portia and I are all sitting around Wiress' apartment, finalizing our Spring Break plans before her boyfriend gets back. It looks like we're going to go to San Antonio for Spring Break and spend a day or two at Six Flags and Sea World. What's great about those plans is I wont have to talk at all. The girls can talk for me and I don't have to come off as disabled, though my words are starting to get better. I can almost form complete sentences, with minimal difficulty.

As we look over the last of our plans we finish discussing what's going to happen. Wiress and Bristel are going to drive down in Wiress' car and meet us at the hotel, while Portia and I take my car, since it's the biggest one any of us own. We'll have all the suitcases while Wiress and Bristel are on snack detail. I invited Clove and Foxface to come down and stay with us, but Foxface didn't have the money for the flight, and Clove already had plans in Atlanta, so it was just the squad. We have everything figured out and we call it a night.

I get back to my apartment, the closest one to Wiress's, being the next building over, when I get a text from Portia. 'Are you doing alright?'

My fingers dance across the touch screen, and I wonder what brought all this on. 'Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?'

'Well, I want to make sure you're going to be good to go. I don't want you to feel like you have to go on this trip, just because we're going.'

I smile. Portia is the big sister I've never had. When I joined my sorority, she was the one who showed me all the ropes, and later she became my Big. To say we were pretty close was an understatement. 'Trust me. I need this trip.'

'If you ever need to get away, just let me know. Wiress and Bristel are both bringing their boyfriends and I don't want you to feel awkward.'

I feel my heart sink a little. What if Finnick and I were still together? Would he be going on this trip with us? Him and I were together for more than a year when we broke up. It's still unreal to think he's not here. I still have his number saved. I have to resist the urge to text him everyday. I have a stack of unsent letters to him. I appreciate Portia's concerns, though. 'I wont feel awkward. It'll be a nice distraction away from all of this. Besides, if I need a giant stuffed animal won, you've got me.'

The next day we pull out and prepare to go on what could be the greatest Spring Break ever, or the worst. We drive off campus and I look out at the ocean. The water is one of the prettiest blues I've seen it since I came to college here. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

 _Finnick- April_

I wake up on the ground disoriented. I'm in a house I don't recognize, my shoes are hanging from a ceiling fan, and I'm wearing some girls bra. I guess it belongs to the girl on the floor next to me who is wearing nothing but a pair of bright pink pumps. I get up and grab a blanket to cover up the girl. I don't know who the hell she is, or how the hell she ended up next to me, but I don't want everyone to see her, well, everything. Maybe everyone already has. Not really my problem. I look around and see Gale passed out on a couch with Johanna, what I'm assuming are her panties on his head, and Peeta and Katniss asleep in an armchair, looking relatively normal, save the sharpie penis doodled on Peeta's cheek and some white powder, hopefully flour or powdered sugar, in Katniss's hair. There are other people passed out in random places as well, but none of them I recognize. I pat my pockets, thankful that I'm at least wearing shorts. I take off the bright pink and black lace bra and wonder what the hell happened last night. I usually don't go out and get so drunk I blackout, but apparently that's what happened. I look around for my shirt and find it in the sink, covered in what looks like cookie dough. I didn't like that shirt anyway. I dig my phone out, to see about getting a ride to my apartment from someone who wasn't at the party, and see I have three texts and a missed call from Annie. Shit.

I go to the messages and see that I sent her some very, very drunk texts. "Ur soooooo hot. Like, hotter than hot. Like you set lava on fire hot. We should totally. Totally get back together," was the first of the texts I sent. She didn't respond, so I sent her another. "Fuckkkkkkk Annie. Text me backkkkkkkkkkk."

She responded. She was very aware I was drunk. "Finnick, you're obviously drunk. Lay off the beer and text me when you're sober if you really want to talk."

My messages go on. I sent her at least six, most of them saying variations of "I get drunk off of you, babe."

"Go to bed, Finnick. Call me in the morning if you really want to talk." I must be hurting her. I'm such an idiot. She doesn't want to talk to me. My next massages make it worse.

"I'm with this girl. She's not nearly as hot as you. Seeeeeeeeeeeee!" I then proceeded to send her a picture of the blonde girl I woke up next to. She is, thankfully, wearing clothes in the picture. She is also making out with some blonde guy, but I can still see Annie is hurt, with just a two word text message.

"Goodbye Finnick."

She called me this morning, ten or so, but I was still asleep. Man, have I fucked up.

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! Please tell me what you all think about it, because I would really like to know. :** )

 **Question of the Day**

 **Where is the best place you've ever gone for Christmas?**

 **Love you all so much!**

 **With Love,**

 **-Juliet**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the support! Happy Christmas Eve Eve Eve! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 _zuritamupaka: I'm really glad you like it! It's a lot of fun to write and it's something I've never done before. Finnick and Annie are my favorite couple to write, so a lot of my stories involve them. I did Christmas in England about 9 or 10 years ago, now. It was a lot of fun. I would love to go back!_

Chapter Nine

 _Annie- May_

Preparing to go back home for the summer was dreadful. I liked my school. I liked my sorority. I liked getting to hang out with people I was comfortable with. I don't like having to go home and face the possibility of seeing Finnick again. There was a time where I would have gone home and make the eight hour drive just to see him for a day, then make the eight hour drive back. It doesn't seem so long ago. I don't want to admit it to myself, especially because I was the one to break up with him, but I miss him. I really miss him. My sorority sisters and friends tell me not to, he doesn't deserve me, but that was the only time he ever said anything negative or made me feel bad about myself. I could tell he was starting to get stressed out. I should have asked if there was anything I could do to help him instead of being as self-involved as I was.

I usually don't miss him as much as I do as of late, but my heart has been beating faster every time I think of him. He was safe. He was familiar. He was better than all the guys that hit on me when I got to the club. They liked me because I wore the only dress I had for clubbing, my little black one, and couldn't form full sentences, making me seem quieter than I actually wanted to be. One particular memory of a man who stole me away and made me dance with him, serenading me with the song Sangria, makes me particularly scared. If I had someone like him then the creepy guy wouldn't have asked me to dance in the first place. I possibly wouldn't have gone to the club in the first place.

I wish I had Finnick.

I put my last silvery-pink suitcase in the back of my car and see my room is completely cleared out. I'm moving to a new apartment next semester, so I needed to get everything out. I give it a saddish look, knowing I'll never see the room again, and shut the door, locking it. I go and take the key back to my landlord and prepare for the journey home. I get to do the car ride by myself, but my mom is in a car behind me, taking the items that wouldn't fit in mine. I turn on a playlist I prepared for the trip, a combination of One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Def Leppard, to keep things interesting, and pull out of the parking lot. There is a part of me that wants to pick up my phone and call Finnick, tell him I'm coming back to Panem, tell him I'm sorry and I want to be with him again, but I stop myself, remembering the night he got drunk and kept texting me. Telling him to call me later was the hardest thing I've had to do.

 _Finnick- June_

I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up some fabric for a project Katniss was working on. She told me exactly what she needed, dark green and brown fleece, when I saw Annie. Her hair was falling down her back, far longer than I remembered, her face in a neutral position, the slightest smile gracing it. She was stocking Christmas supplies, or checking inventory, or something, running a scanner over seemingly endless cases of sparkly, festive balls. I panicked and turned away as fast as possible, going the opposite direction before she could see me. I didn't know Annie worked here. I doubt Katniss, Gale or Peeta did either, and if Johanna knew we'd be hearing all about it. Katniss wouldn't have asked me to come here if she knew Annie worked here. Shit. I stay where I am, pull out my phone, not sure what to do. I take a breath and count to ten in my head. I could go back to her and apologize. I could casually bump into her and pretend it was an accident and ask how she's been. I could leave the store and tell Katniss I'll get the fabric later. I don't get the chance to, though. "Need help?" I hear a high pitched, pleasant voice, one that is very familiar to my ears. I turn around and see Annie, who looks taken aback. She obviously didn't think I would be here. "H-hey."

I give her, what I hope is, a smile. She doesn't say anything, but her eyes do. Joy. Confusion. Fear. Anger. Sadness. Hope. Relief. They all appear in her eyes. "H-hey, Annie. How-how are you? I didn't know you worked here."

She nods and shrugs. "Yeah. Summer job."

"Your words are coming back, it looks like."

She nods. "A few. Short sentences. Enough for job." She looks around awkwardly, probably trying to find an escape. I can hardly blame her. What I did last Christmas was bad enough, but those drunk text messages would freak anyone out.

"Annie, listen. I- I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me."

She gives me the most serious look I've ever seen on her. "Christmas or drunk?"

I hesitate. "B-both." I take a breath. "I didn't mean what I said at Christmas, and I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but I was stressed. I don't know what came over me. You didn't deserve that, and when I was drunk, you did not deserve to be receiving those messages. It wasn't fair to you. I was acting like a douche bag and I'm really sorry."

Annie doesn't say anything, but I wasn't expecting her to. I didn't deserve to be forgiven. She deserved an apology, though. She deserved so much more. I turn and walk away. I'm almost at the fabric section when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see Annie. She looks flustered, but a bit of the light I knew has come back into her eyes. She opens her mouth and I hear her sweet voice again. "Coffee?"

 **Thank you to all of you supporting the story! It really means a lot to me! I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I ma enjoying writing it!**

 **Question of the Day**

 **Have you ever done a Secret Santa? If so, what did you get?**

 **Thank you guys so much!**

 **With Love,**

 **-Juliet**


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